Machine for automatically packaging conveyer supported products



Nov. 6, 1951 N. L. SOLOMON ET AL 2,574,196

MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY PACKAGING CONVEYER SUPPORTED PRODUCTS Filed Dec. 7, 1944 4 Sheets$heet 1 INVENT RS 28 A/ArHA/v L. SOLOMON ALv/ E. ANDERSON BYIE'LWIL LIAM F FEYRER Nov. 6, 195 1 N. L. SOLOMON ET AL MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY PACKAGING CONVEYER SUPPORTED PRODUCTS Filed Dec. 7, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 NATHANL. SoLoMON ALVIN f. ANDERSON WILL/AMF/ZYRER ATTORNE? Nov. 6, 1951 N. L. SOLOMON ETAL 2,574,196

MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY PACKAGING CONVEYER SUPPORTED PRODUCTS Filed Dec. 7, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS NATHAN L. SOLOMON ZALVIN E .ANDERSON BY WILLIAM FFEYRER ATTORNE Nov. 6, 1951 N. 1.. SOLOMON ETAL 2,574,196

MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY PACKAGING CONVEYER SUPPORTED PRODUCTS '4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 7, 1944 INVENTORS NATHAN L. 50L 0MON ALVIN f. Alvbsfison WILLIAM E FEYHER ATTORNY Patented Nov. 6, 1951 UNITED- STATES. PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY PACKAG- ING CONVEYER SUPPORTED PRODUCTS Nathan L. Solomon, Englewood, Alvin E. Anderson,..0radell, and William F. Feyrer, Englewood, N. 3., assignors to Solo Products Corporation, acorporation of New Jersey Application December 7, 1944; Serial No. 567,084

larly, the present invention deals with means or apparatus," in machines of this type andkind, for automatically stacking or bunching a number of products made from fiat, round, half-round and otherwise shaped wire, and for convenience therein; referredlto as' wire'forms, on the com. veyor or carrier, and then simultaneously dis-- placing the stacked or bunched products from theconveyor or carrier and discharging the same into a package or receptacle. Still more partic-- ularly,'the invention includes means for automatically controlling the number of articles'or products stackedor bunched on the'conveyor or carrier and'to putin motion the means for displacing or' removing the stacked and counted products or articles for transmission into the package or receptacle. The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following descriptions when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed and in which the separate partsare designated by suitable-reference characters'in each of the views; and in which:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating in outline the general relationship of the conveyor or carrier with respect to the forming mechanism and the'packaging'mechanism.

' Fig. '2 is a side and sectional View of that part of the forming mechanism diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 1, which deals with the control of counting and automatically energizing the packaging mechanism.

' Fig. 3 is a partial section on the line 3+3 of Fig. 2. f

Fig. 4- is a face View or" the packaging mechanism diagrammatically positioned in Fig. 1.

. Fig. 5'is a plan View of the structure shown in Fig. 4 with part of the construction broken away and'in section. I g

Fig; 6 is-a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 4, with part of the construction broken away and in section;

Fig. '7 is a section on the line of Fig. 4 on an enlarged scaleand'diagrammatically showing only the product or article displacing or removing mechanism. Fig; dis a View" similar to Fig. 7, showing only '8 Claims. (01. 163-8) 2 a part of the construction and showing a: modification. Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic plan view showing modified 'form of control and illustrating the Wiring. diagram of said control.

Fig. 10 is a View similar to'Fig. 4', showing only a part of the construction and illustrating thesame as applied to the control of Fig. 9; and. Fig. 11 is aperspective detail view of the article stop mechanism employed.

In illustrating one adaptation and use of my illvention,t the: same is shown applied to the" packaging: of articles of manufacture, such as wire forms, wherein the wire forms are formed and mounted upon an endless band and are fed by this band through various stations for treatment or processing in the manner taught in the application hereinbefore referred to. In machines of this type and kind, I employ a machine or mechanism for automatically counting and stacking a predetermined numberof products as the carrier band'- or conveyor is moved through the machine and when the desired number of products have been counted and stacked, means is automatically actuated for simultaneously removing. all of the counted and stacked products from the band and delivered into a package or receptacle, the

latter inlmost cases, being. utilized as the pack age or wrapper for the retail sale of the product. In the present illustration, an envelope will be utilized as the package, for the reception of the wire. forms. In referring to wire forms. it will beapparent that reference is made to wire or strand .forms of any type or kind, and in fact to any type of product which can be mounted, counted and collectively displaced from a carrier into a package or other receiver.

Considering the diagrammatic showing in Fig. 1- of the drawing, 15 represents in outline the approximateposition of a machine employed to produce wire forms or bobby-pins and includinga counting and automatic stripping mechanism; asdiagra-mmatically indicated at it. At I7 is shown one pulley or wheel, around which an endless band I8, which may be termed a carrier' or conveyor, passes, the band also passing around another pulley or wheel [9, spaced with respect to the wheel I1. Adjacent thewheel i9 is apackaging mechanism 20, which may be referred to as a stripper or as a stacking and ejector mechanism. The band I8 is traveling in the direction of the arrow 0: of Fig. l, and arranged on the band I'8', at spaced intervals, are products orarticles' 2|, note Fig. 4, arranged at an inclination. These products or articles in the construction shown are in the form of bobbypins, as more clearly illustrated in Fig. 7. The looped ends 22 thereof are directed downwardly. One end of the pins 2| are formed with ofi'set flanged portions 23 which facilitate removal of the products from the band, as later described. As seen in Fig. '7, the products 2| are curved, whereas in Fig. 8, similar products 2|-A have straight sides and would thus be removed from the band 6 by a, slightly different mechanism from that shown in Fig. 7.

The counting and starter switch mechanism, diagrammatically indicated at IS in Fig. 1, is shown more in detail in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing.

In Figs. 2 and 3, 24 represents; the cam shaft of the forming and mounting mechanism l5, upon which is arranged a cam 25, and 26 represents a plate of the machine l5, on which is supported a stub shaft 2|.' Rotatable on the shaft 21 is a switch tripping disc or wheel 26, having two or more trip devices 29, two being illustrated in the present construction. Secured to the face of the wheel 26 is a tooth wheel o'rratchet 36 having a predetermined number of teeth 3| on the periphery thereof and the number of these teeth, in the construction shown, will control the number of products in each of two stacks or groups for insertion into receiving packages or receptacles, as will later appear.

. At 32 is shown an arm pivoted, as seen at 33 and carrying at its free end a friction member 34 to engage the face of the wheel 26 to retain the same against movement other than through,

the feed mechanism employed and later de-.

.scribed. The arm 32 is urged into operative poother end is coupled to the post 4| on the front plate of the guide block 31. The front plate has an elongated aperture 42 for the passage of the spring mounting 46 therethrough as the bar 36 reciprocates back and forth. Y

The other end of the bar 36 carries a pin or screw 43 upon which is pivoted a pawl 44 adapted to engage the teeth 3| of the ratchet 36 in intermittently feeding the wheel 26. Supported on top of the bar 36 is a bracket 45 carrying an adjacent stop screw 46 and forming a backing for a spring41. The spring 41 cooperates with the pawl 44 to hold it against the screw 46. This screw also forms a backing to support the pawl in its forward or feed stroke, while permitting the pawl to ride freely over the teeth 3| in the backward or non-feed stroke of the bar. This will be clearly apparent from a consideration of Fig. 2 of the drawing.

Supported upon the plate 26 above the wheel 26 is a switch 46, the switch element or button of which is shown at 49. Pivoted adjacent the switch-46, as at 56, is an arm 5|, carrying at its free-end a roller 52 operating upon the surface of the wheel 26. The arm 5| also has a switch operating projection 53 arranged adjacent the element or button 46 so that as the roller 52 is raised by one of the trips 29, the switch 46 will be energized to automatically actuate the mech- 'anism 26.

In other words, it will energize the solenoid 54, note Fig. 7.

In Fig. 7, the switch 46 is diagrammatically illustrated, as is also the switch actuating wheel or disc 26 with its trips 26 thereon. The circuit wires to the solenoid 54 are indicated at 55 and 56 in said figure.

At this time, it will be understood that the shaft 24 completes one revolution each time a product, such as 2|-2|A is formed by the machine mechanism |5 and mounted upon the band l6. Thus as each product is formed, the wheel 26 is moved a distance equal to the spacing oi one tooth 3| on the ratchet, thus as a corresponding number of such devices arranged on the band are reached and are stacked at the mechanism 26, one ofthe trips 23 will be then brought into position to actuate the switch 46 to then strip or remove the counted and stacked products from the band and discharge the same into the receiver. The trip devices 29 are so constructed as to quickly energize the switch and immediately return the roller 52 to operative position upon the wheel in order to provide successive stackings of counted products on the band.

As the band I6 is fed through the mechanism 26, the products or pins 2| are moved up against a stop bar or finger 51 and are stacked or piled one upon the other edge to edge, the band l6 passing through the products 2| in this operation. When the last and counted product 2| has been stacked, the stack of products are collectively and simultaneously stripped from the band l6 by a stripper or ejector 56. The stripper or ejector 56, as seen in Fig. 7 of the drawing, is in the form of an arm 59, pivoted as seen at 66 to the bed plates 6| of the mechanism 26. The arm 53 has an elongated aperture 62 inwardly of the curved or finger end 63 of the ejector. Passed through the aperture 62 is a vertical rod 64, suitably guided in an upstanding plate 66, as seen at 66. The rod has spaced pins 61 projecting from the sides thereof to operate upon the arm 56 in actuating the ejector 56. A spring 66 is coupled to the rod 64, as seen at 66 and to a part of the plate 6|, as seen at 16. This spring serves to hold the ejector 56 and the rod in raised inoperative position against an adjustable stop screw 1|. The screw II is adapted to control the stroke of the ejector or stripper 56 in order to insure complete removal of the products from the band l6.

Pivoted to the lower end of the rod 64 as at I2, is a rocker arm 13, pivoted to the other end of the arm as at 15, is a link 16 having a pivotal coupling with the core 11 of the solenoid 54, as indicated at 16.

From the above described construction, it will be readily apparent that when the solenoid 54 is energized, the core 11 will be raised and the rod 64 moved downwardly through the link and levers employed, and in this downward movement, the ejector or stripper 56 will remove all of the articles 2| from the band l6. The width of-the finger end 63 of the ejector or stripper will correspond to the combined length of the stacked articles 2| on the band so that all of these articles will be engaged by the finger and fed downwardly upon the channelled surface 19 of a package supporting member 66. In the construction shown, the member 66 is in the form of a downwardly extending plate having outwardly flanged sides 6| forming the channel surface 16. The lower end of the plate is curved, as

opposite direction and the rollers 89 and supplemental backing H9 are returned to operative position, as is also the backing finger or bar 51. In some cases, the fault in arrangement -of the products on the band may be cared for by simply placing the hand of the operator under the plate 80 to catch a few of the articles in the hand for placement in another receptacle. On the ther hand, a large receptacle may be arranged below the plate in wide spaced relationship thereto and the articles allowed to drop or to be delivered into this receptacle and afterwards packaged therefrom.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the articles or products are continuously formed and applied to the endless band or carrier and delivered in a spaced relationship to each other controlled by the speed of the band and the speed of forming and mounting the products. As these products are delivered by the band to the stripper or packaging mechanism, they are stacked into groups of predetermined number controlledby the mechanism as in Figs. 2 and 3 or by the position of the slot I08 with respect to the stop I05. When a complete stacking is provided, instantaneously the stripper is operated to remove all of the products from the band and deliver them into the envelope or other package or receptacle, as at 83. The envelopes 83 may have the flaps 84 thereof gummed and in removing the envelopes from the supporting plate 80, the operator will have ample time to seal these flaps and arrange the package in a suitable container ready forshipment.

It will be apparent that the illustrations in the accompanying drawings are simply to indicate one adaptation and use of the invention. It will be understood that the mechanism or apparatus is generally applicable to the packaging of products of any type or kind arranged upon or supported on a carrier or conveyor and counted or stacked as to numbers for delivery to a receiver which may constitute a packaging memberoi any type or kind. In other words, means is provided to control the grouping or stacking of the products either from the standpoint of mounting the same upon the conveyor after being formed, or from a standpoint of stacking. Here it is to be borne in mind that by utilizing the electric eye control, it is immaterial as to what particular ar- D rangement the products may assume upon the band. No stripping operation will take place until the required number of products have been stacked or grouped. This will dispose with the need of the hand operator mechanism actuated through the crank 95. At least while this mechanism may be employed, its need for operation would be at very few intervals and only when faulty products, that is to say, misshaped or mistreated products would appear on the band. It will also be apparent that the particularshape and contour of the band or conveyor may be modified to suit different types and kinds of products being formed.

According t the invention, a machine is employed to shape or form the article or products and in some way mount or place it upon the carrier or conveyor. The conveyor is utilized to bring the articles or products to what may be termed a packaging unit or which also may be referred to as a packaging station. The question of packaging should be considered in a general sense tocover any type of group assemblage or support of the articles or products. From this standpoint, of course, the-necessity'for counting the articles is desirable in order that the same number of articles will always be delivered to the receiver. If preferred, the unit controlling removal of the articles from the carrer or conveyor may simply be for the purpose of counting and grouping the articles after which they may be packaged in any desired manner.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pat of the products on the carrier and supporting the same in predetermined position with the carrier movable through said grouped products, said mechanism having means for supporting a receiver thereon, means for simultaneously removing all of the grouped products from the carrier and delivering the same into said receiver, automatically actuated means controlling the operation of said last named means, and said automatically actuated means comprising an electric eye control actuated upon completion of the grouping of a predetermined number of said products.

2. In a mechanism for forming and applying predetermined number of articles to an endless conveyor, means forv stacking a predetermined number of articles on said conveyor and in fixed position with respect to the movable conveyor, a stripper arranged adjacent the fixed position of the stacked articles on the conveyor and adapted to concurrently remove all of the stacked articles from the conveyor when a predetermined number of articles have been arranged in the stack, automatically actuated means for operating the stripper when the required number of articles are arranged in the stack, said last named means comprising an electric eye control actuated by arrangement of the last article in said stack.

3. In a machine for forming and mounting wire forms upon a band like carrier at spaced intervals, means adjacent the band for engaging the wire forms to collect a predetermined grouped number of the wire forms in a row on the band at a removal station, with the band movable through said grouped wire forms at said station, automatically actuated means for stripping the group of wire forms from the band when a required number of wire formsin a group have been collected at said station, said means comprising a stripper finger movable transversely of the band, and means establishing an electric eye beam transversing the band and the wire forms thereon at a point in alinement with the last wire form of said group.

4. In a machine for forming and mounting wire forms upon a band like carrier at spaced intervals, means adjacent the band for engaging the wire forms to collect a predetermined grouped number of the wire forms in a row on the band at a removal station, with the band movable through said grouped wire forms at said station, automatically actuated means for stripping the group of wire forms from the band when a re- 'quired number of wire forms in a group have been collected at said station, said means comprising a stripperv finger movable transversely of the band, means establishing an electric eye beam transversing the band and the wire forms thereon at a point in alinement with the last wire form of said group, and said wire forms being arranged angularly upon the band in transversing the light beam in the grouping thereof.

5. In a machine of the class described, an endless movable conveyor comprising a wide band having flat opposed surfaces, means for stacking a predetermined number of wire forms on said conveyor in fixed position with respect to the movable conveyor, the wire forms having side members frictionally engaging side surfaces of said conveyor band, a stripper finger arranged adjacent the fixed position of the stacked wire forms on the conveyor, said finger being adapted to move over one of said surfaces of the band in stripping the wire forms therefrom, and said stripper finger concurrently removing all of the stacked wire forms from the conveyor band when a predetermined number of wire forms have been arranged in the stack.

6. In a machine of the class described, an endless movable conveyor comprising a wide band having fiat opposed surfaces, means for stacking a predetermined number of wire forms on said conveyor in fixed position with respect to the movable conveyor, the wire forms having side members frictionally engaging side surfaces of said conveyor band, a stripper finger arranged adjacent the fixed position of the stacked wire forms on the conveyor, said finger being adapted to move over one of said surfaces of the band in stripping the wire forms therefrom, said stripper finger concurrently removing all of the stacked wire forms from the conveyor band when a predetermined number of wire forms have been arranged in the stack, and said stripper finger being movable in an arcuate path.

7. In a machine of the class described, an endless movable conveyor comprising a wide band having-fiat opposed surfaces, means for stacking a predetermined number of wire forms on said conveyor in fixed position with respect to the movable conveyor, the wire forms having side members frictionally engaging side surfaces of said conveyor band, a stripper finger arranged adjacent the fixed position of the stacked wire forms on the conveyor, said finger being adapted to move over one of said surfaces of the band in stripping the wire forms therefrom, said stripper finger concurrently removing all of the stacked Wire forms from the conveyor band when a predetermined number of wire forms have been arranged in the stack, said stripper finger being movable in an arcuate path, one common side portion of all of the wire forms having an offset finger engaging end, and the stripper finger having a free end shaped to engage the offset ends of the wire forms in establishing positive engagement of the finger with the wire forms in stripping the same from the conveyor band.

8. In a machine for forming and mounting wire forms upon an endless movable carrier at predetermined spaced intervals thereon, said carrier comprising a Wide band and the wire forms having spring ends frictionally engaging side faces of the band, means along the path of travel of the band for engaging the wire forms to collect a predetermined grouped number of wire forms in a row on said band at a removal station, with the band moving between side members of the Wire forms at said station, and automatically actuated means at said station and movable across one surface of the band and engaging one side member of said grouped wire forms for stripping the wire forms from the band when a, required number of wire forms are collected in the group at said station.

NATHAN L. SOLOMON. ALVIN E. ANDERSON. WILLIAM F. FEYRER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of 'this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 672,331 Peck Apr. 16, 1901 1,889,846 Wright Dec. 6, 1932 2,016,820 Milmoe Oct. 8, 1935 2,050,547 Thayer Aug. 11, 1936 2,290,381 Poole et a1 July 21, 1942 

